Appointing Joe Kinnear twice, renaming St James’ Park, losing Alan Shearer and Kevin Keegan - the list just goes on and on, but obviously the two relegations over the past seven years is the most damning indictment.

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Do you think Rafa Benitez will be the NUFC manager at the start of next season?

3000+ VOTES SO FAR

We need to see a clean break from what has gone before under Ashley.

Whether managing director Lee Charnley is the bloke to continue to lead the non-football operations at that football club I’m not sure, but what he must do is get Rafa signed on the dotted line.

Indications seem to be positive. Until he is confirmed as managing Newcastle in the Championship next season, there remains the possibility someone else could swoop for him.

He wants control over transfers, he wants to be able to build a squad capable of bouncing back at the first attempt, he wants changes to the training ground, he wants changes to the scouting, and much more on top of that.

The board must give him EVERYTHING he wants.

For far too long the Magpies have made catastrophic mistakes which have cost this football club.

The first target would be to achieve automatic promotion next season - but that would merely be the very beginning.

He wants to be competing for trophies and challenging towards the top six in the Premier League as soon as possible; he will not accept the mediocrity and lack of ambition that has affected the club during the Ashley era.

Rafa has the stature, the gravitas and also the experience to entirely transform Newcastle from top to bottom.

He can restore United to the position they should be in - competing for trophies and in the Champions League, just as they were under Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson.

It is no exaggeration at all to say that, should Newcastle’s board screw up these negotiations, they will be risking the club’s entire future.

Rafa Benitez is that important - he is the key to absolutely everything.